Captain Kangaroo

How tough is it to rent a tux when you're a 7-footer? :blink:

Seems like a pretty special athlete?

Steele picked K.e.n.t. State to win the MAC last year...and they went 3-9.There's no way we finish at the bottom of the MAC East. However, I agree that our proximity to the bottom is heavily dependent upon our QB's performance.

Do all these University types just copy each other? Does anyone have an original idea anymore?I can't wait until the Indiana opener in 2009. Maybe someone will come up with something clever like giving everyone white shirts to "white out" the Hoosiers? Be a Part, "Ventura Style"Be a Part, "Happy Valley" Style

Sounds like something Rydell Brooks probably considered at some point?

Zips battle Cavaliers for one state side, while Al Groh beats us for a DL in The Great White North.

You know me...I LOVE soccer, and I LOVE a parade!

Given a choice of the two, I'd have taken Quaintance.

From what I heard that's incorrect. We dropped Kentucky because it was our path of least resistance. Kentucky wasn't tickled to drop the game, but had a fallback game available. AND, more importantly, Wisconsin, unlike Ohio State, make a significant increase in their original contracted payout as an enticement for the Zips to honor their original commitment and come to Madison.I can't reveal my source, but I can say his name rhymes with "Snack Toads."

Cincinnati was a gift from Mike Thomas. Indiana was also a game from the previous administration, and at the time the contract was signed the new stadium was not a slam-dunk. Wasn't the Indiana game date originally a Rubber Bowl one?By no means am I a Big 10 shill, but getting a Big 10 team to come to your stadium, when you have no ties to that school (Miami, for example, got many of it's marquee games from Hoeppner, Walker and others) is pretty damn good.

That's a sweet video...I'm ready to lace 'em up right now!!

Indiana is a Big 10 team that played in a bowl game in 2007. They're the biggest "name" team to come to Akron since Virgina Tech in 1995. Anyone complaining about that game needs to redirect their angst. On a scale of 1-10 on the "complainability index," it rates a 1.5.

Unless someone were really really really lazy, I'd expect to have at least one "marquee" home opponent every season at the new stadium. We can afford it.

C'mon Browns, pick him up! I can safely say (albeit still unbelievable to me) that the Cleveland Browns will be a title contender next year, and nothing would be better than being able to wear a brown-and-orange jersey of the most successful Zip alum in the NFL.Order a replica 99 Browns jersey with Taylor on the back. If you want it, do it.If you go to the stadium you will see Willie Green, Couch, Courtney Brown, etc...What's the difference if you make your own or wear some losers jersey?In todays f'ed up nfl system, I would respect you more for that, than blindly buying the next first round pick's jersey just because they have it at Dick's and the some clown on WKNR tells Browns fans that "Quincy Morgan is a steal at the top of round two" so Brown fan runs out and buys his jersey.I was at Champs in Macedonia yesterday. They have a ton of really nice, stitched Charlie Frye Browns jerseys if you're interested. $9.99.

Click me

Click for Story in Niagara Gazette

Heritage-Conyers TE Considering ZipsAnd yes I do think Jimmy Conyers would make a great TE too. Maybe this kid at 6' 8", and Jimmy could swap sports?

Depends on the beer.For example -- The Leinenkugle's Summer Shandy that I tried for the first time at Canal Park last week...which tasted like 1/2 Mike's Hard Lemonade and 1/2 Pabst...would not be a suitable payment.

Thanks to adding Temple, MAC football schedules are a train wreck. I heard that K.e.n.t. at one point had committed to 15 games in 2008. The Zips had committed to 13, and had to drop Kentucky.In Akron you never know who's going to be on your schedule until about March of the respective season.

Had to take a trip down memory lane... Click to see where Carmen ended up.Where's my money?

Bryan Hipsher was top 10, if I recall? His brother Andy was also pretty highly rated.

I'm with you. The facts are undeniable...parochial schools are athletic machines that the overwhelming majority of public schools are incapable of competing against. Dyer lays it all out pretty clearly, and with supporting facts not just opinions. And it isn't an outlandish proposal to separate public and parochial schools when it comes to competing for championships.I don't get the "hey...let the public schools get stomped...who cares whether or not they can compete for a championship" attitude. Why does tabling the issue cause people to go "Bob Knight?"Tell me how Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, with at least 9 BCS scholarship players on their roster...plays in OSHAA Division IV? How fair is THAT? Mooney was ranked in the top 10 in the NATION, yet they're competing against public schools none of whom would make the USA Today top 1,000, let alone Top 10.If you hate HS football, or are simply indifferent to it, IMO you're really missing out. I attended three of the state finals football games this year. The environment is flat-out electric. Whole towns empty out, paint their faces, their car windows and drive upwards of 3-4 hours to support their teams. The caliber of football is always great. No flaming scoreboards...no dance team tarts...no DJ house party punk blasting you with music...just hard nosed football that is a binding fabric to many communities.And for those who might get their panties in a bunch over what I've written above, I'll offer this:USA Today #1249 Coldwater beat USA Today #9 Cardinal Mooney 28-27 in what was as compelling a football game as I've seen in some time. Shortly thereafter, Maria Stein Marion Local, from the same Dayton-area conference as Coldwater, beat parochial power Youngstown Ursuline 20-17. So I say...let the private machines continue playing public schools in the playoffs. It often turns into a real-life Hoosiers, with a splash of Rudy. And I LOVE that stuff!"No one roots for Goliath."At least I don't.

An one who constantly berates the ABJ for its shoddy efforts, it is only fair that I give some credit when someone does a nice job. This story by Bob Dyer is an excellent look at Ohio HS athletics and the dominance of Catholic schools. Very well researched. Note: Although not specifically Zips football-related, it is our slow period, so I placed it here. It is a good read.

I think if any student...not just a star athlete...makes an improbable leap in standardized test scores, it stands a good chance of being flagged. When it is one of the top basketball recruits in the nation, it'll most certainly get flagged. I don't see it as calling anyone a liar. I think it is due diligence on the NCAA's part. If they don't look into things like this, cheating would run rampant.You don't get "lucky" on ACT's or SAT's. If he really has buckled down and improved his self, he'll do pretty good on the re-take too. Maybe not as good...but he should score within his most-recent "ball park." Likewise, if he somehow cheated, it will also show.It does put pressure on the kid (to score well again), but if he's the #1 national HS recruit, you'd figure he's ok handling pressure.

From William Penn HS